Pen stand

ABSTRACT

The disclosed pen stand includes a base and a pen-rest hinged to the base, to be erected slantwise. The pen-rest can fold down into the base for compactness. It can be erected to a slant attitude, and it is maintained erect by a latch at the hinge. The base is in the form of a frame, with the pen-rest hinged to one edge of the frame opening, and there is a recess in the opposite part of the frame for locating the tip of a pen resting in a recess in the pen-rest.

United States Patent [191 Moore et al.

1 1 Feb. 18, 1975 1 1 PEN STAND [75] Inventors: James G. Moore, Cedar Rapids; Fay W. ()ltman, Anamosa, both of Iowa 173] Assignce: Souvenir/Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa [22] Filed: Jan. 2, I974 [2]] Appl. No.: 429,875

[52] US. Cl. 211/695 [51] Int. Cl B43k 23/04 [58] Field of Search 211/695, 69.1, 69.7, 69,

211/60 A, 60 M; D74/5 A, 5 B; 206/4518, 40/125 H; 248/351 (U.S. only). 460

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 746.999 12/1903 Schmitz 211/60 A UX 1.693591 12/1928 Chatillon 206/4518 X 2,616,558 11/1952 Kay 2ll/60M UX 3.385.450 5/1968 Nadler 211/42 DI45,82S 10/1946 White D74/5 B FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,390,426 1/1965 France 248/460 1,419,268 10/1965 France 248/460 235,347 6/1925 Great Britain 248/460 135,042 10/1902 Germany 206/4518 Primary Examiner-James T. McCall Assislant ExaminerR0bert W. Gibson, Jr.

[ ABSTRACT The disclosed pen stand includes a base and a pen-rest hinged to the base, to be erected slantwise. The penrest can fold down into the base for compactness. It can be erected to a slant attitude, and it is maintained erect by a latch at the hinge. The base is in the form of a frame, with the pen-rest hinged to one edge of the frame opening, and there is a recess in the opposite part of the frame for locating the tip of a pen resting in a recess in the pen-rest.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEUFEBI ems 3.866 T56 sum 1 or 2 FIG. 2

PEN STAND FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to devices for holding a pen or the like erect and conveniently accessible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pen stands commonly involve some form of receptacle for a pen, for holding the pen erect and conveniently accessible. For example, there is the wellknown elaborate form of pen holder which includes a small slab of marble or the like, hearing a pen-receiving socket on a swivel joint. At an opposite extreme in terms of low cost, pen stands of folded cardboard have been proposed, primarily for use as point-of-sale pen displays, which can be erected for use and collapsed for packaging. A range of other pen stands are known between these two extremes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a low-cost pen stand that is intended for everyday use rather than mere display. which is economical to produce, and which is amenable to attractive styling. The novel pen holder can he collapsed into a flat configuration for storage and for compact packaging. It can be erected readily for everyday use.

The novel pen stand includes a base part and a penrest hinged to the base. The base is in the form of a frame. The pen-rest is hinged to the base, and it can fold into the opening of the frame in the collapsed condition of the pen stand. The pen-rest can be erected readily for use. The pen-rest has a pen-receiving recess at its end opposite the hinge. The base provides a locating recess for the tip of the pen.

The nature of the invention and its further novel features and advantages will be better appreciated from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS In the drawings:

FIG. I is a top plan view of a novel pen stand, being a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the pen stand being shown in its flat configuration.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the pen stand of FIG. I, in its erected configuration and including a pen in phantom lines.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the novel pen stand as viewed from the plane 33 in FIG. I.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-section of the novel pen stand as viewed from the plane 4-4 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-section ofthe pen stand as viewed from the plane 3-3 in FIG. I, but with the pen-rest erected as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view ofa modification of the pen stand of FIGS. 1-5.

Referring now to FIGS. l-5, base 10 forms a frame about pen-rest l2, and it is joined by a hinge 14 to the pen-rest. In the collapsed condition of the pen stand as shown in FIG. 1, pen-rest I2 is received in opening 11 defined by frame I0, this opening 11 extending through the base from top to bottom as shown in FIG. 2. The end of pen-rest l2 remote from hinge 14 has a penlocating recess 16. A cavity 18 in base 10 is provided for receiving and locating the writing tip of a pen 24 (FIG. 2), and complements recess 16 in defining a stable locating stand for the pen. Recess I6 and cavity 18 are close to each other when the pen-rest is folded into the frame.

The pen stand in the flat configuration of FIGS. 1 and 3 is readily packaged. shipped, and tucked away when not in use. It is also readily erected for use by swinging pen-rest I2 up to the slant attitude of FIG. 2. As the pen rest swings up, the edge 22 of an opening in penrest 12 is brought to bear forcibly against the top 2011 of latch 20, temporarily deforming hinge I4. Latch 20 may also yield somewhat in this operation. When edge 22 clears the top of latch 20, hinge I4 draws pen-rest 12 down a bit, so that the latch tip 20b bears against the lower surface of pen-rest 12 adjacent to edge 22 and thus arrests the pen-rest in its slanting erected position.

The whole pen stand is made of a suitable molded plastic, hinge 14 being an integral portion of the same molded unit comprising base 10 and pen-rest I2. The material used may be any suitable plastic such as vinyl, vinyl copolymers, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., taking into consideration the fact that hinge 14 is an integral part of the unit. The construction is inexpensive to make, yet it is very serviceable. It is apparent that various attractive designs can be devised incorporating the operative features of the pen stand of FIGS. l-S. The integral hinge-and-latch construction has been used for holding a calendar-display panel erect at one edge of a base panel, but that construction contributes to the success of the novel pen-rest. (The design of the pen stand shown in FIGS. I-S is the subject of a companion design application of even date.)

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified form of pen stand embodying the operative features of the pen stand shown in FIGS. l-S. In FIG. 6, primed numerals are used corresponding to like numerals in FIGS. I-S. A detailed description of FIG. 6 is omitted, as not necessary. The embodiment of FIG. 6 accommodates two pens, or a pen and a pencil. Apart from this feature and the prominently different styling, the embodiment of FIG. 6 is the same in all details as that of FIGS. l-S. In both embodiments, the pen-tip receiving recess (or each recess) in the base is adjacent to the pen-locating recess of the pen rest when the pen rest is folded flat, within the frame represented by the base.

It is apparent that those skilled in the art will recognize opportunities for modifications and varied application of the novel features of the pen stands shown in the drawings and described above, and consequently the invention should be construed broadly, in accordance with its full spirit and scope.

What is claimed is:

l. A pen stand including a base and a pen-rest, the base comprising a frame having an opening that receives and surrounds the pen-rest in a collapsed condition of the pen stand, means at one side of the frame for securing one end of the pen-rest to the base, said pen-rest having a pen-receiving and locating formation at a portion thereof remote from its secured end for receiving and locating a portion ofa pen spaced substantially from the writing tip thereof, the part of the frame remote from said one side thereof having a writing tip locating formation for locating the writing tip of a pen, said writing tip locating formation being adjacent the pen-receiving and locating formation of the pen-rest when the latter is disposed in the frame.

2. A pen stand in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base and said pen-rest are one unitary plastic part,

and wherein said means for securing said one end of the penrest to the base includes an integral hinge uniting said base and said pen-rest. said base and said pen-rest having integral cooperating latch means adjacent the hinge for maintaining the pen-rest in an erected condition.

3. A pen stand in accordance with claim I. wherein said pen-receiving and location formation is a recess in the end ofthe pen-rest remote from the secured end thereof.

4. A pen stand in accordance with claim I, wherein said opening in the frame extends through the base from top to bottom and said pen-rest in its collapsed 

1. A pen stand including a base and a pen-rest, the base comprising a frame having an opening that receives and surrounds the pen-rest in a collapsed condition of the pen stand, means at one side of the frame for securing one end of the pen-rest to the base, said pen-rest having a pen-receiving and locating formation at a portion thereof remote from its secured end for receiving and locating a portion of a pen spaced substantially from the writing tip thereof, the part of the frame remote from said one side thereof having a writing tip locating formation for locating the writing tip of a pen, said writing tip locating formation being adjacent the pen-receiving and locating formation of the pen-rest when the latter is disposed in the frame.
 2. A pen stand in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base and said pen-rest are one unitary plastic part, and wherein said means for securing said one end of the pen-rest to the base includes an integral hinge uniting said base and said pen-rest, said base and said pen-rest having an integral cooperating latch means adjacent the hinge for maintaining the pen-rest in an erected condition.
 3. A pen stand in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pen-receiving and locating formation of the is a recess in the end of the pen-rest remote from the secured end thereof.
 4. A pen stand in accordance with claim 1, wherein said opening in the frame extends through the base from top to bottom and said pen-rest in its collapsed condition is exposed at the top and bottom of the base.
 5. A pen stand in accordance with claim 1, wherein said opening in the frame extends through the base from top to bottom and said pen-rest in its collapsed condition is exposed at the top and bottom of the base, wherein said base and said pen-rest are one unitary plastic part, and wherein said pen-rest securing means includes an integral hinge uniting said base and said pen-rest and integral cooperating latch means adjacent the hinge for maintaining the pen-rest in an erected condition. 